Dante's, or rather James Potter's, Inferno
by Claire Lafleur
Summary: Professor McGonagall had suggested the easy route: simply put each Hogwarts couple's names in a hat and select one at random. Though this was a very good idea Dumbledore opted for the far more complicated, but all together more exciting, Nomination Raffle


For the Valentine's day Prompt Challenge

Prompt: romantic getaway

Its way late, but whatever

... maybe I'll add to this?

The last remaining crumbs of breakfast vanished as Professor Dumbledore rose from his chair to address his students who sat, waiting with baited breath, for him to announce the winning couple. He cleared his throat and gestured to a box that sat right in front of him, about as tall and as wide as a standard podium, with a small slit at the top, sort of like a huge donation box. Individual students shifted uncomfortably and couples tightly clasped hands under the table. James Potter's eyes were moving from Lily Evans, to the 'donation box,' to Dumbledore so quickly, that his fellow marauders were surprised he had not yet collapsed of dizziness.

Now, I bet your wondering what the hell is going on.

You see, today happened to be both Valentine's Day and, unfortunately, a Monday - meaning there was to be no Hogsmead trip for love-struck couples or lonely singles to enjoy. Earlier this week, however, someone, though no one was quite sure who, had suggested that a sort of drawing should be held to excuse one lucky couple from classes and send them on an all-expense-paid-trip to Hogsmead for the day.

Now you're probably wondering how this couple is selected… or you might not be. But nevertheless, I must explain the rules, or you will be hopelessly confused later on in this story.

Professor McGonagall had suggested the easy route: simply put each Hogwarts couple's names in a hat and select one at random. Though this was a very good idea (after all, they did have plenty of hats to choose from), Dumbledore opted for the far more complicated, but all together more exciting, 'Nomination Raffle,' after all,_ love wasn't meant to be easy, it was meant to be worth it._

The rules (as he had explained at both the last staff meeting and at breakfast on Friday, the 11th) were as follows:

The couples will be nominated by the students.

The couple who is nominated the most times will win the trip.

Each student is allowed to nominate only one couple, only one time.

If one student tries to nominate one couple multiple times, they will be detected and punished.

Each student is allowed to nominate any couple, even themselves.

To nominate a couple, a student will write each person's name on a slip of paper and then, slip it into the nomination box.

Obviously James Potter had been extremely delighted at the idea of a drawing. The moment Dumbledore uttered the last rule; James had devised a surprisingly uncomplicated plan to rig the drawing to his advantage. What's more, his plan did not involve the breaking of a single rule.

"It's quite simple," he had explained to his friends as they walked to their first lesson that Friday. "All we have to do is convince (or maybe blackmail) a whole bunch of people to submit me and Lily. Then, Lily will realize that my head isn't that large after all and she'll love me forever!"

So, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs had spent the all of Friday and a rather large portion of the weekend persuading and hoodwinking fellow students into submitting Lily and James for the couple's romantic getaway.

Which leaves us back where we started; Valentine's Day morning, the Great Hall filled with high-strung students waiting not-so-patiently for the headmaster to get on with it.

"Your nominations have been submitted and tallied up," Dumbledore spoke finally, "and the winner is..." He pointed his wand at the nomination box and a small envelope zoomed out of the slit at the top, right into his outstretched hand. "Lily Evans and-," James leaped up and triumphantly punched the air while students around giggled, "Lily Evans _and-_," repeated Dumbledore, "Benjy Fenwick."

"YES!" said James, but then realization sunk in and he spluttered, "What?"

Remus pulled James back into his seat as Sirius and several surrounding students snorted into their pumpkin juice.


End file.
